Sony SR129E/B P8400 ATI HD3470 now $1299

I noticed Newegg has a lower price now for the SONY VAIO VGN-SR129E/B NoteBook Intel Core Duo P8400(2.26GHz) 13.3" Wide XGA 2GB Memory DDR2 800 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470

$1299

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117791&Tpk=sony+sr

You lucky americans

 

So... tempting... must... resist... until more reviews come in...

 

Way to go and tell everybody! I saw this a few hours ago and I'm so tempted to jump on it! I just wish there were more reviews for the SR out there--I'm leery of buying an unproven laptop, and my main concern is battery life, which won't be tested until more reviewers get their hands on it. Hopefully this deal lasts more than one day, and hopefully it won't sell out while I'm still making up my mind!

 

Oh noes!

I have been awake all week trying to think about having a $1000 desktop rig + $500 netbook, and today I saw this deal. I can't make up my mind!

I have $1500 to spend for college, and I already have an idea on how college dorms are like. But I really don't feel safe carrying an expensive laptop around... as the SR will more likely get a ton of use, inside and outside. Oh what to do...

 

Did you see the review in the other thread? 3.5 hours.

I forgot where the link is...

 

what the hell dude. why is it so damn cheap so soon. kinda weird if you ask me..

 

unbelievable... a drop after just a week??

maybe Sony is going to release a newer config soon?
Maybe with HDMI and blu-ray option

 

Strange how is it that newegg has these in stock and on SonyStyle is a preorder is newegg a authorize Sony dealer.

 

damn, that's a killer deal... so, i'm thinking we'll see the same price drops with the z?

 

I think so too. I expect a decent Z config for $100 - $200 below the Sonystyle CTO model.

 

newegg is not an authorized sony dealer!

 

Hey Phil, can you watch for a lower price on the FW for me?

 

SoundsGood: Deal on FW - $50 cheaper and free shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117792&Tpk=34-117-792

 

Thanks Esle, I appreciate that! But I'm holding out for an XBRITE-HiColor screen. Most of the ready-to-ship models seem to have XBRITE-ECO.

 

well, im sure i read somebody saying they would order off newegg last week, which supposedly had them in stock..

did you get the laptop yet? its 3 day shipping, should have got it by now....


so what the hell is the deal? do they have them or not. pisses me off

 

sorry dude newegg is not a authorized sony reseller.
sony CSR has told me that. Although newegg CSR was pleading that they are authorized but i doubt that...
newegg is also not on authorized sony reseller list (i can post the list if someone needs that)

 

but i mean... what could be so different that warrants a freaking 200 dollar price difference?

 

So if Newegg is not an authorized dealer, does that have any implications in terms of warranty?

 

no. you still get the 1 year sony manufacturers warranty

 

According to Sony's "Why buy from an authorized dealer?" page, the only real concern you should have about buying from an unauthorized dealer is that "some unauthorized dealers have sold products with altered or obliterated serial numbers", in which case your warranty wouldn't work. I'm pretty sure you can trust that newegg won't go scratching off your serial numbers.

Also, an authorized Sony dealer is required to offer a "convenient return procedure" - newegg.com doesn't allow returns for laptops I think.

But it's not as bad as they would like you to think.

BTW, there are many more authorized Sony dealers than are listed on that "Sony Authorized Online Dealers" page - just go to b2b.sony.com and do a search for Sony dealers near your area, and you'll find a lot of companies not listed in that other list.

 

Right. On top of that Sonystyle's reseller ratings are terrible and Newegg's are excellent.

 

true, but look at how many customers new egg has had. they sell alot more products than sony and the little things add up... i.e. somebody buys 20 dollar product on newegg and gets it on time then they go write a raving review, lol. alot more of those at newegg most likely.

 

Well, I finally buckled. I needed a laptop for college within a month, and this deal was too good to pass up--I sure hope I don't regret it (I doubt I will). I'll keep people posted (especially the naysayer Duke2007) when I get it, hopefully before the weekend.

 

Keep us updated! Once you get it, be sure to post a review. I'm especially interested in the heat output of this model if you can just sort of check for that.

 

lmao. naysayer duke, I like that. lol. I am just confused that's all. i'm sure people bought that sr129 when it was first posted (like 7/15) and they have yet to get their laptops and its the 23 now. im sure something would have popped up on the internet if people got them in 3 days. meh.. just ticks me off if newegg advertises instock when no other resellers claim in stock but rather note they arent released till late july (i.e. laptopsinc.com)

EDIT: I just realized that perhaps the ones on newegg ARE in stock. BUT... they are likely pre production models (i.e. meant for display and testing in stores). after all, newegg is not an authorized dealer and don't really have to follow all the genuine guidelines.

sony may have found minor kinks to fix in the production line up, who knows but it's a valid guess.

for example http://www.techradar.com/products/c...cs/laptops/sony-vaio-vgn-sr19vn-428132/review

mentions they were using a pre production model of the SR (i know its not an american model but same concept applies)

 

snap crackle pop i made a wrong post

 

You have some interesting theories. Newegg is one of the largest internet retailers in the world. They get exclusive deals all of the time from manufacturers. Newegg moves so much product that they get said products at a lower price than other retailers, and they can sell them at a lower margin since they deal in such large volume.

Retailers can't sell pre-production models. Those only go out to people that review and possibly debug the product. They do not have any type of warranty and have to go back to the manufacturer once the evaluation is complete since a lot of them have not been approved by the FCC.

FYI, I have been interested in the FW and SR, and today's price drop on the SR was a deal maker. I ordered one this afternoon and it is scheduled for delivery tomorrow according to the UPS tracking number.

 

okay please let us know ASAP when you get it please! pics and all. im not doubting you i just HOPE it's true. I may even cancel my sony order for one.

okay but also you say they can't sell pre-production. yet, sony has noted that SR series will not be for sale or ship until late july or early august. a sony rep. even questioned why newegg would have them in stock and for sale already..im just saying...

 

Duke, I think as sonystyle is not selling this particular model, it is the fact why they don't have it.. it is not review model for sure which the Newegg has, but Newegg might have had cut a big deal with sony to have a model designed and have it in bulk and they might have been delivered before sony can ship their own CTO models (they have to configure it right, which newegg does not have to). Also if you look at the pictures at Newegg (I love how newegg takes all the photos themselves and from all sides etc, not many retailers do that for you).. they really have it, they even show you the box picture they will send you..

Read people who buy notebooks from newegg and the reviews they write, no one ever complains about newegg.. or the product being different than one advertised.. it is just they wont accept returns .. and sony reps will not believe they have the notebook or if they are authorized..

 

Lol he keeps going at it. Trying to come up with new theories why the deal at Newegg is no good.

Duke do yourself a favor and cancel your order at Sony and put $300 back in your pocket where they belong

 

whoopsie doopsie

 

Lots of benches please if you do get it tomorrow or the day after =D.

 

Yep. I've bought from them a few times myself. It's a shame that they (or Amazon.com) don't have a better configured FW. I'd have no problem buying it from either place.

 

I'm not going to have the opportunity to do much with the machine for a couple of days. It is out for delivery now and I leave for vacation early tomorrow morning.

 

Wow, newegg continues the discount. Enter the code: EMCAHCEAK to receive a further $30 off the SR129E/B.

 

if sony style doesnt ship my **** today i might cancel. wtf is up with that good deal.

 

Honestly, if I were you, unless you're absolutely dead set on your custom configuration, I'd just cancel and save the $$$. Even if you don't take the Newegg deal now, it seems that the 129E/B model is pretty damned good at a much better price from any reseller.

 

I took the risk yesterday and bought it from Newegg... and got next day shipping too. I'll consider it as $50 tax XD.

But if it does come today, I'll prepare and have a review up ASAP. Tell me what you want to look for. For Duke, he wants to find out about audio out noise. For others, most will be concerned about battery life and heat. I need a quiet laptop, so CPU whine and fan noise must be minimal. A recent topic in XPS forum has a lot of info that I'm willing to try (advanced RMClock modding).

As for the CTO model, all I'm concerned about is whether the CTO models will have an update in chipset. I saw somewhere this morning that the 129 model Newegg sells may be an incomplete Montevina model, lacking Wimax and the ability to use hybrid graphics. This may be why PortableOne isn't shipping anything out. That, or they haven't made a deal with Sony yet.

 

If you can do what a lot of the NBR reviews do measuring specific temperatures of the CPU/GPU in addition to just general comments about the heat, that would be great. I'm not sure what program they use, but I've heard people mentioning RivaTuner for it. Other benchmarks of interest: PCMarks05, 3DMarks06 and wPrime 32M.

Aside from the more technical stuff, general comments on build quality, screen quality, etc. would be great. I hope it arrives soon for you!

 

Do you have any games you could test the 3470 with? I'm mostly concerned with TF2... been playing on my sz 120....

 

Thanks, LimitProof, for sharing your coupon code! Although I ordered the laptop yesterday, I called Newegg when I saw your post and they've agreed to credit my card back the $30. Yay!

 

ShinyFalcon: Before you head straight into the benchmark testings and stuff.
Please let us know your first impression with it when arrives.
Let us share the package opening excitement with you

 

I doubt that it will have an incomplete chipset. Where did you read that from?

Also, why would you need hybrid graphics anyway? the SR doesn't allow that and has no plans to. SO even if it has the ability, it would be pointless. Just like how the ATI card supports HDMI yet Sony didn't put an HDMI port. same crap... it's all up to Sony.

Case in Point: I'm only wondering why Newegg is the ONLY place claiming it instock and ready to ship (dating from as far back as 7/15/08)

 

HDTune is free and will show some info about the harddrive.

I think a lot of people are interested in 3D Mark 06.

 

I second that! $30 back to my account! Thanks!

 

Well, I've finally given in. A million thanks to duffyanneal for the awesome first impressions review. It really helped me make up my mind. I won't be able to physically get my hands on it until September when I get back to the US, but I'm going to make my dad run some benchmarks & take screenshots (and also gonna ask him to take some pictures), so I'll report back the results if everyone hasn't beaten me to the punch already .